Through the Gate
by Suki the Dragon Warrior
Summary: Harry Potter/Fullmetal Alchemist crossover. Edward crosses the gate in his attempt to bring his brother back. But what happens when he lands in a magical world? -UNDERGOING REVISIONS- See Author's Note for more information.
1. Chapter 1

_Through the Gate_

Chapter 1

Edward Elric opened his eyes, heart racing. The golden orbs stared blankly at unfamiliar surroundings as the ex-state alchemist tried to collect his scattered thoughts, but the more he tried to recall them, the farther away they seemed to get. _Calm down; just try to remember what happened last!_ He noticed a soft blue glow that surrounded him, the light weaving itself into an intricate circle that was slowly dying away. Panic jolted through the blonde's fragile body and he staggered to his feet, disoriented. Then he remembered; the vividness of his memories making him sway. Of course. The underground city. How could he forget? It was all returning now, a wall of emotions crashing over the adolescent as thoughts of Envy's true identity and the knowledge that he had died swam in his head. But perhaps the most important thing occurred to Edward only last: his attempt at bringing his brother back. And he then realized his mistake.

He was alive.

Pain gripped the eldest Elric's heart, flowing through his entire body. "No…no!" he cried, feeling the tears gather at the corners of his eyes. He couldn't be alive! If he was, surely it meant that something had gone wrong.

Surely it meant that he had failed.

The thought was too much. "Al!" he yelled desperately, his strained voice echoing off of the trees. "Alphonse!"

There was no reply.

"Answer me," he said quietly, a stray tear making its way down his dirt-covered face. "Please." But he knew it was hopeless. Wherever the Gate had taken him, his brother wasn't there. Edward clenched his jaw, fighting back the tears, but a small choked sob managed to escape his lips despite his efforts.

"This wasn't what I wanted…" He said, voice trembling as he spoke the words for the second time in his life. "It wasn't…"

He couldn't even protect his younger brother. His only family and he didn't even know if he was alive or dead. Utterly defeated, the boy slumped against a tree, letting his golden bangs cover his face. Somewhere above him, a bird lamented, the eerie tone hushing the entire forest.

---

"Stop yer barkin', Fang!" Hagrid growled. The boarhound didn't appear to hear its master and continued scratching at the wooden door of the house, howling.

"Th' school year hasn't even started yet. Wha' could be out there?" he muttered irritably, sipping tea from a mug the size of a small barrel. He tried to ignore the dog, but after several more minutes of persistent barking, the half-giant relented, slipping a rope leash around the dog's shaggy neck and opening the door. Fang immediately bounded off towards the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid at his heels. The large man stopped as an unfamiliar voice reached his ears.

"No!"

Never had Hagrid heard one syllable laced with so much pain and desperation. "So yer nose is sharper than I thought," he said to his companion as Fang eagerly searched for the source of the cry, Hagrid more than willing this time. They trekked further into the monster-infested forest that seemed to have fallen silent upon the stranger's arrival.

"Al! Alphonse!" The voice called again, half sobbing.

After the second outburst, they heard no more, their only guide being Fang's nose. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they arrived in a small clearing. Hagrid couldn't help but gasp at what he saw.

A young boy that looked about thirteen years old was lying against a tree, his blonde hair braided into a plait and golden locks hiding his face. But what surprised the half-giant the most wasn't the boy's unusual clothes (black leather jeans, shirt, boots, and a red traveler's cloak) or his size; it was the fact that he was covered in blood. Though whether the red substance was the boy's or someone else's he did not know. Cautiously, the gamekeeper took a step forward. He felt something crack under his feet.

Edward's head snapped up, his golden eyes flaring with mistrust as he struggled to his feet and tried to wipe off the tear tracks on his face. There was a large man with wild brown hair that almost covered his whole face standing a few feet away. A _very_ large man.

"Easy now," The man said. "I don't want t' hurt yeh."

"Who are you?" Edward demanded.

"Should be askin' you th' same thing," he grumbled. "But m' name's Hagrid." He looked down at him expectantly.

"…Ed," he answered reluctantly. "If you don't mind me asking, what's the quickest route to Central?"

"Central? Never heard o' that before."

"You've never heard of Central?" he asked incredulously, wanting to make sure he'd heard right. "What about Liore? Xing?"

The man named 'Hagrid' looked suspicious. "Is this some kind of joke? 's far as I know there's not a 'Central' in Europe."

Edward felt a sudden sinking feeling at the man's words. Wanting to test his theory, he asked, "What about London?"

The man's eyes brightened. "O' course! Everyone's heard of London!"

Ah. So that's what had happened. He had crossed the Gate. The knowledge that _something _had happened sent newfound relief flaring through him. There was still hope—!

Pain wracked Edward's back, sending small jolts of agony down his spine. He tried to hide it, not wanting to show weakness in front of the stranger, but he couldn't force back a hiss of pain.

Hagrid looked at him with concern. "Are yeh hurt?"

He gave him a pained smile. "Fine."

The man surveyed Ed and grunted. "No yer not. Yer pale and covered in blood. Not ter mention yer knees 'r shakin'."

For the first time since his attempt at bringing Alphonse back, Edward looked down at himself. His eyes widened when he saw that Hagrid was right. "I didn't notice." _It must have happened when I crossed the Gate. _He also realized that his right arm and left leg were metal again. He was glad for the cover of night; the alchemist had no gloves and he didn't know how people on _this _side of the Gate would react to his automail.

"Yeh didn't notice?" Now it was Hagrid's turn to be stunned. "Blimey, how could yeh not notice an injury that bad? It's not a lil' paper cut, y' know!"

"I was distracted," Ed grumbled.

"Distracted, eh…I would've called it screamin' at th' top of yer lungs."

Edward's face paled and he looked down. "You heard that?"

"How do y' think I found yeh?" He paused, then asked gently, "How did yeh get 'ere anyways…Ed, was it? And who's Alphonse?"

All of his previous worries that he had so carefully held at bay broke through his barriers again. "None of your business." His back went into another spasm and he winced.

Hagrid moved to help the boy, but Edward stepped back. "I'm fine," he said stubbornly.

"Yer lyin' through yer teeth. At least let someone have a look at yer back. 'M sure Madam Pomfrey wouldn't mind fixin' y' up in th' hospital wing."

"No hospitals," Edward said feebly.

"Don't be thick, Ed. Y've already lost a lot of blood. 'Sides, as much as y' want t' deny it, yer in pain. Now c'mon!"

Edward didn't move.

"Don't make me pick yeh up," Hagrid growled.

"I'd like to see you try," Ed snorted, but followed the half-giant out of the clearing grudgingly. There was a truth to the man's words. Of course, one small scratch wouldn't stop the Fullmetal Alchemist from trying to look for his brother, but he needed information. He wasn't about to go wandering around in a world he knew nothing about without some footing first. Even in Amestris he had at least known alchemy; he didn't know if alchemy even worked on this side of the Gate.

The trip through the forest was a lengthy one. They took the wrong path a few times and—much to Edward's embarrassment—it wasn't uncommon for the alchemist to stumble or trip in the dark. But their journey was also one filled with hints of tension. Ed poked and prodded Hagrid for the location they were headed for, but only received one answer, and not a very helpful one at that.

"'S not my place t' tell yeh, Ed. Course, I'll probably be yelled at when we get there fer bringin' a stranger with me, but I couldn't just leave yeh there. 'Sides, yer not a muggle, that's fer sure. No muggle can even see th' Forbidden Forest, much less enter it," He had told Edward and would say nothing more on the subject, leaving the alchemist to ponder the meaning of the word 'muggle' and the reason as to why they couldn't see the forest. Likewise, Hagrid would inquire about Ed's past, but the only knowledge he had gained from him was that his full name was Edward Elric and that he was sixteen. Every time he asked questions about his life or where he lived, the boy would remain silent, his golden eyes filled with pain in such depth that the gamekeeper doubted he could ever understand.

By the time the two reached the last row of trees, Edward was starting to feel light-headed and a little shaky on his feet despite the support of his mechanical leg. The pain in his back had become more persistent as they neared their destination until it was an unrelenting burning stripe that stretched diagonally from his left shoulder to his waist.

"There's my house!" Hagrid said happily, pointing a large finger at a rather small but cozy looking wooden cabin. The dog named 'Fang' yelped excitedly and tugged on his leash.

"Lemme just drop Fang 'ere off and we'll go up t' th' hospital wing."

"How far away is this place?" Ed groaned as they headed for Hagrid's house.

Hagrid let out a throaty chuckle. "This is th' last walk, I swear."

"Good," he grumbled. Hagrid opened the door to his hut and let Fang off of his leash.

"How ya holdin' up?" He asked. Ed was leaning on the doorframe, a sheet of sweat covering his face.

"The room's spinning," he said quietly.

"Do yeh need help?"

"No," he said quickly, loosening his death-grip on the doorframe and promptly falling over. He felt heat rush to his face as Hagrid burst out laughing.

"Y' don't know when t' quit, do yeh?"

"Just shut up and help me."

He obliged, still chortling.

"Thanks," he said, gripping the man's sleeve tightly with his left hand to regain his balance.

"Y' don't have to look so ashamed, Ed. It's okay ter accept a lil' help every now 'n then."

"…Okay." He smiled slightly. "One of my friends said something similar once. She told me that I don't have to do everything on my own and that it's okay to trust other people sometimes."**(1)**

"Wise words," Hagrid said solemnly. "Now, ready t' go?"

"I…think so…" Edward replied, releasing his grip on Hagrid.

"Right, then let's go."

They started up the hill towards a towering castle, Hagrid still refusing to give any details on the place and Edward still carefully concealing his metal arm from Hagrid. When they were about halfway up the hill, a shout caused them to halt.

"Hagrid!"

The voice belonged to a very sever looking woman that was hurrying towards them, her gray-brown hair up in a tight bun and a steely glint in her eyes that could rival those of several military officers Ed had met back in Amestris. She was clearly not someone to mess with. And even though it was Hagrid's name she had called, it was Edward who had her attention. He felt suddenly self-conscious, briefly wondering what a blood-splattered boy like himself would look like to her. Probably like a teenage serial killer leading his next victim away.

"Professor McGonagall," Hagrid stated, surprise coloring his tone.

"Who's this?"

"Er…it's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere," she snapped.

"Well, I sorta found 'im in th' forest and—"

That did it. "Found him in the forest?! He's not some kind of pet that you can take home with you, Hagrid! He's a _muggle_! What made him all right to bring him to the castle?!"

"Because I was hurt!" Edward interjected against his better judgment. "Isn't that reason enough?"

She stopped her rant, slightly stunned by Ed's outburst. Hagrid took advantage of the silence.

"It's true, Professor! I couldn't leave 'im there where a monster could find 'im while 'e was hurt and lost!"

The professor looked at him sternly. "We don't need another Quirrel, Hagrid."

"But 'e's harmless!"

Edward twitched at this statement, but wisely chose not to point out that he was one of the best alchemists back in Amestris. Not that they'd know where that was or much about alchemy anyway. Professor McGonagall didn't look like she needed a confirmation from Ed to reach a similar conclusion.

"Harmless indeed, despite the fact that his right arm is metal?"

Edward quickly looked down and saw his right hand peeking out of his red jacket, giving off a faint metallic glow in the moonlight. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one looking now.

"Ed! Yer arm—it's, well, metal!" Hagrid exclaimed, gaping at him. The professor pulled out a stick from her flowing black robes. Ed knew he shouldn't be afraid of a _stick _of all things, but there was something different about this piece of wood, he could tell by the way she was holding it. He fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Lift up your sleeve," she ordered, the stick still pointed threateningly at his chest. He glared at her and reluctantly did as he was told. As more of the automail was revealed, both Hagrid and the professor looked at it with a kind of horrid surprise. Edward had anticipated their reaction, but it didn't make the situation any less awkward.

"What is your name?" she demanded.

"Edward Elric."

"Are you lying?" She asked, bearing down on him.

"No, I'm not." He said, agitated. What was this, a military base?

"What happened to your arm?"

"…I lost it in a war."

"You're lying!" she accused. "There haven't been any wars going on here!"

"So what?!" He burst out. "I don't have to tell you people my life story!"

"Then you leave me no choice," she said darkly, raising her 'stick' higher.

"Professor, please—" Hagrid began, still looking flabbergasted. But she wasn't listening. A fierce gleam in her eye, she shouted, _"Stupefy!"_

Instinctively, Edward pressed his palms together and thrust them at the ground. Nothing happened. He felt panic rising fast inside of him. As the light raced closer, Ed squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact that was sure to hit him any second…

…only it never came. Cautiously opening his eyes, Ed glanced up at Professor McGonagall and saw her duck to avoid the jet of red light that had, somehow, been rebounded back towards her.

"What did you do?" she hissed.

"What do you mean what _I _did?!" he growled, standing up and gritting his teeth as his back gave off a particularly nasty throb that brought stupid, bitter tears to his eyes. _What the hell was that?! …Why does this have to be so damn confusing?! I just want to go home and make sure Al is okay! _Edward saw Professor McGonagall's resolve waver as she gazed down at him. "You…you people have no idea…" Lights popped in front of his eyes and he swayed. Hagrid hurried to help the injured alchemist. She deftly tucked her weapon away.

"See? 'E isn't a muggle, Professor, I know it! Surely there's no harm in lettin' 'im see Hogwarts!"

"But a wizard that's been overlooked? It's unheard of!"

"Just look at 'im, Professor!" Hagrid persisted. Edward was leaning heavily against the half-giant, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow, oblivious to their argument. "If 'e causes trouble, it won't be too hard t' overtake 'im! 'E's small enough, isn't 'e?"

"I'm not short," Edward said, his voice garbled from the stress of the day.

She sighed. "Perhaps you're right. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, but, well, with what happened last year…"

"I find it unnervin' that a teacher could betray th' staff too," Hagrid comforted her. "But e's just a kid!"

"And a rather badly injured one at that." A third voice said, quiet and knowing.

"Professor Dumbledore!" McGonagall cried. Ed, sensing the arrival of yet another strange person, opened his eyes and tensed slightly. An old man with a long white beard and half moon spectacles perched atop a crooked nose was walking calmly toward them, his violet moon-and-star printed robes billowing behind him.

"It's okay, I mean you no harm," 'Dumbledore' said kindly, his blue eyes sparkling as he caught Edward's hostile stature. He shot the old man an uncertain glance before nodding ever so slightly. The newcomer was still staring at him, but his gaze wasn't scheming or mistrusting. It was curious and concerned. "I came to see what the commotion was about. Minerva, would you be so kind as to explain how this boy has come into our midst?"

"I can tell you, you know," Edward huffed.

Dumbledore smiled down at him. "I am sure you are very capable of doing so. However, the question is not whether you _can _tell us, but rather if you _will _tell us."

Ed smirked, closing his eyes again. "So you aren't just some old crackpot."

"Actually, Hagrid may be able to answer that better than me, Headmaster." Professor McGonagall said quickly. Dumbledore turned to the half-giant expectantly.

And so Hagrid told explained how he had found Edward injured in the Forbidden Forest and was going to take him to Madam Pomfrey when they had met Professor McGonagall. He then proceeded to explain how her spell had been deflected back at her by something they couldn't see.

"It seems your suspicions are correct, Hagrid. Edward is indeed no muggle." Dumbledore said, frowning slightly. "You say you don't think he has a wand on his person?

"That's right," Professor McGonagall confirmed.

"Then if he has no prior knowledge in the field of magic, it could quite possibly have been a magical outburst. However, it is quite strange that a wizard nearly of age has not had a wizard's education…" He glanced at the blonde that had fallen into a kind of light sleep. "But now is not the time."

Edward opened his eyes sleepily as he felt the stares of his companions trained on him. "What?"

"Can you walk?" Dumbledore asked politely.

He nodded.

"Good, good. Then allow us to escort you to the hospital wing. Let's go, shall we?"

"Hold up!" Edward said stubbornly, letting go of Hagrid, pleased that he didn't fall this time. "I want some answers first. Professor...—McGonagall, was it?—said that there aren't any wars going on, but what about the one in Germany?"

Dumbledore cocked his head at the boy before him. "If I am thinking of the same war that you are speaking of, Edward, then that war ended long ago. Over fifty years ago, in fact."

"Fifty years," he mouthed, shaking his head. It was unbelievable. Not only had the Gate dropped him off on the other side, but it had taken him to the _future! _The possibility of seeing his brother again suddenly seemed even more unlikely.

"I am sure you have many more questions, Edward. However, you need medical attention. Once you are well again, I will try as best as I can to supply you with answers." Dumbledore assured, watching the play of emotions across the boy's face. The boy looked liked he wanted to protest, but got control of himself and nodded slowly. Dumbledore smiled. "Now, I'd like to show you my school."

"This place is a school." It wasn't a question.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Edward."

---

**Wow, that was long! Hope you aren't asleep. ;D This is the temporary Chapter 1! I changed the major problems I had with it, so I feel comfortable leaving it up while I do more writing and editing.**

**(1) I believe Maria Ross said this, just in case you were wondering.**


	2. Author's Note Updated

Sorry if you thought this was an actual update, I know it's been FOREVER. But I have a few announcements to make. And I felt like I owed you guys an explanation for my lack of updates.

I'll start with the explanations, though I'll try to make it short. The main reason I was unable to update was because my parents set up some weird parental controls thing that blocked this site. The other reasons were (sadly) a mixture of procrastination and loss of inspiration for this story. Luckily, with a little J-pop/rock, fanfiction reading, and persuasive arguing skills, I am able to start writing more for this story! Hooray!

Which brings us to the main point of this Author's Note. As I was reading through all of the chapters last night, I found myself saying 'Suki, what the heck were you thinking when you wrote this scene?! ' I find that there is a lot of mistakes in the chapters I've written and I've realized that I probably should have written the whole thing out first so I could edit/revise and tweak the plot to my heart's content before making it live. Now, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm going to do some major (and minor) tweaks and a lot of editing. And I want to have the whole spring/summer to work on this and get it the best I can. So there won't be updates for probably a very long time. Sorry!

Thanks again to all of my readers! You helped keep this story from dying and I hope you'll enjoy the story just as much (maybe even better) when I'm through with it!

-Suki

**Update: **I have decided to take down chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5. Frankly, there are so many things needing to be fixed, I can't stand the thought of others reading them as they are. :P I have, however, fixed the major problems I had with chapter 1, so I have put up the revised version. Mind, it probably won't be the permanent chapter one, but it'll do for now. :)


End file.
